Saved by the Nundu
by Dr-I-Know-All
Summary: Rebuilding a government after civil war is never easy, and corruption is everywhere, and Hermione learns this the hard when when a betrayal leaves her in an ambush. What could have been a fatal encounter for her turns magical when a full-sized nundu saves her life and gives her a precious gift -one of his spines. Why is the Ministry trying to off her? How can her new familiar help?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

The world was rebuilding slowly after the Battle of Hogwarts. The business that had died during the war began to blossom back, as evidenced by the suddenly reopening shops in Diagon Alley. Even Ollivander opened his shop again, although he needed to take on a couple of apprentices because of his treatment at Malfoy Manor. Hogwarts was rebuilt and Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries had prioritized finding a way to replicate its ancient wards that had been lost during the fight. Any Death Eaters who managed to survive the Final Battle fled.

The Golden Trio as they were pardoned of everything they did during the battle with Voldemort, including the damage to Gringotts. They refused to explain themselves to the Ministry or tell them about the Horcruxes, believing that letting the public know about this dangerous type of magic would increase its occurrence in the magical world. So together, the three of them chucked the damaged husks of Voldemort's horcruxes into the Chamber of Secrets, never to be found again.

Ron and Hermione ended whatever they had between them after the battle, although both were confused as to what they were anyways. They both agreed to stay friend-siblings and Ron left to hunt Death Eaters with the Auror Department of the Ministry. Last they heard from him, he was in Egypt following a lead on some lingering attacks.

Hermione stayed at Hogwarts at the Headmistresses request. Minerva said they would be without multiple faculty members, and if she could fill any of the five open positions she was welcomed to. She would be starting that fall term as the dual teacher of Charms and History of Magic.

Harry hid.

All the attention he had suffered over the years was nothing compared to now. He hid in the redone Fidelius charm around Grimmauld Place, burning all the letters he received. Anyone who needed him talked to Hermione or Ron directly, as they were the only one who the knew could get to him. He hired a few of the master-less house-elves from the Lestrange home to make the place inhabitable for Teddy Lupin and Andromeda Black, who lived with him in the house. He focused on being a godfather and let the rest of the world work itself out. He deserved time alone.

So, with the castle rebuilt and another three months until the beginning of term and her NEWTS already graded and returned to her, Hermione accepted an assignment from the new Minister of Magic, Eustance Fawley II, to go and follow a lead they'd received in the search for the Book of Thoth. It was reported that a group was hunting for that magical text in Elba National Park, so Hermione was being sent along with a couple of Unspeakables to follow the group and halt their search or recover the book for the magical community.

"I don't understand why he's sending you," Harry complained as they watched Teddy flip through his colours book and subsequently shift his hair to the corresponding colour. "You could just stay here with me and Teddy. It's not weird anymore, Ginny knows she's just my friend. No more jealous gingers!"

"I can't just sit around doing nothing, Harry!" Hermione chastised him properly. "I asked the Minister for something to do, and he gave me something. True, he's sending me on a wild goose-chase in a foreign country based on the word of mercenaries, but if there's any chance of uncovering the original manuscript of the Book of Thoth . . ."

"Heaven forbid a book remains unread by Hermione Granger," Harry teased easily. He chuckled as Teddy turned his hair a light rose pink. "I just think you should take a break. We've been on the run a year; how are you still upright?"

"Not all of us died, Harry," Hermione teased lightly, her voice soft at the memory. "I have enough energy for this little adventure, and then I'll be back to help you and Andromeda change Teddy's nappies for the rest of the summer."

That was the plan, at least. Just a little trip, a little camping, a little reconnaissance, and a little duel. It should have taken a week or two at most. It didn't.

Instead, they were forced to track the group over the space of a month from the Elba National Forest in Egypt down Sudan, all the way to the forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thank goodness for cooling charms during the hot African days, or Hermione would have given up a few days into the trip.

The group they were tracking shouldn't have known they were there, but the rainforest's poor visibility, dangerous magical and non-magical animals, and the rainfall that wiped their traces from everywhere told Hermione that they were here to avoid detection. Coupled with Sahid's reaction upon entering the forest and Hermione had her hand firmly clasped to Bellatrix' wand at all times. Their magical guide, Sahid, was on edge from the moment they entered the Congolese Rainforest, and no matter what the Unspeakables said, he wouldn't tell them why. It was something about a legend about the place, and nothing else. They travelled through the forest in a tense silence.

Then, one morning about 28 days into the chase the group they were tracking didn't pack up their camp in the morning. They were taking a day, it looked like, and it was the opportunity they were looking for. Hermione and her team moved into position and then burst from the undergrowth, intent on taking them captive before they even left their tents.

She flipped open the first tent flap and pointed Ballatrix' wand. It was empty.

"It's a trap!" Hermione yelled to her comrades.

Curses and spells went flying and Hermione tried to find a source to block and attack. She turned around just in time to see a curse flying towards her, violent and purple and familiar. She dropped immediately, the severing hex missing her by centimeters.

"Death Eaters!" Hermione growled. Pushing herself up and casting a shield charm she surveyed the scene.

Two unspeakables down, the guide hiding. She had only two allies now. Three against twelve. The group she'd been tracking was now surrounding them, most unrecognizable. Clearly she'd know one. She surveyed them and fixed her eyes on one. Dolohov. He was supposed to be in Azkaban! How did he get out? When did he do it?

Giving each other a synchronized look, the two conscious unspeakables grabbed their comrades and disappeared by some unknown method from the scene, leaving Hermione and the guide behind. She prepared to fight to the death, to take down as many as she could before the end.

Then, simultaneously, the twelve engaging her froze, then ran in the opposite direction. A blur of yellow jumped at them from over her head and a massive, fully-grown nundu the size of an elephant pursued her attackers. She was frozen in place at the massive animal. It shot its spines forward to catch most of the fleeing opponents, and those it didn't catch with its spines it caught in its jaws. Antonin was the last to die, his body snatched in the powerful jaws.

Hermione should have technically run away while the beast took after her opponents, but this beast was so rare and so beautiful. She stayed standing there, watching it hunt. She stayed frozen as it returned to her, carrying Dolohov in its mouth. To her shock, it dropped the Death Eater at her feet and retracted its spines back into its fur. The nundu looked at her, as if for approval. The dangerous beast – violent and lethal – had protected her.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured. Her eyes were fastened to the beast's amber eyes, and they were intelligent. "You saved me."

It nodded smoothly. It motioned with his head, his eyes only briefly flickering from hers to its back and then back. Hermione's eyes went wide.

"You want me to ride you?" she squeaked.

Another smooth nod. Hermione gulped but nodded back. "Al-alright then. You're … you're kind of large, you know. I'll need you to lower yourself down, if you please."

The nundu dropped to a lying position, making it only a little more easy to climb onto its back. Hermione took two fistfuls of fur, checking to make sure she wasn't hurting it or that the spine were going to come out at any moment before she clamboured onto its back and took two new tufts to anchor herself. The nundu watched her, patiently waiting for her human speed to get her ready.

"I'm-I'm ready," Hermione told it.

With the last dip of its head, the nundu took off in a silent but intensely speedy run through the rainforest with Hermione shrieking and screaming on its back. In a moment of panic that she was going to fall off, Hermione wondered if the beast had taken her outside the anti-apparation wards so she could pop to Britain if things turned south. At a snarl from the beast, who she assumed knew her thoughts, she ignored her urge to do just that and just gripped the cat tighter.

It was strange that she could fear for her life and at the same time think the Nundu's fur smelt completely unassuming. It struck her, because all the texts on them focused on their deathly breath which could level entire cities. Hermione assumed they'd smell disgusting, but they smelt just like any other furry animal. Like Crookshanks, actually.

When they finally stopped moving, Hermione expected to finally feel same again. Instead, a series of loud roars chorused around her. Hermione needed to be nudged by the nundu's cold nose before she felt she could climb look up and unbury her face from the feline's shoulder hair.

There were at least a dozen nundu all at various stages of growth and standing in a circle around her. They were watching her with their intelligent amber eyes and all Hermione could think to do was wave. She could have sworn her nundu purred under her before nudging her again. She climbed down the fur and jumped to the ground, then froze. The loud noise of her boots made her worry about them pouncing, but they all just stood there looking at her.

Her nundu led her through the others and she followed. He led her to what seemed to be human accommodations, which made sense. For the sheer number of the solitary animals living in unison, they had to have been bred. She watcher her nundu search through the quarters with his massive nose sniffing and tracking. Finally, he clenched something shiny between his teeth and brought it to her, dropping it in her palm like he dropped Dolohov at her feet.

It was a bracelet. Hermione examined it carefully, but felt out of her element. Her memorized African magical history told her this was a funerary bracelet. It was in fantastic condition, but the crafting was old. Besides that, she had no idea. She looked up at the nundu, who nudged her wrist.

She fastened the bracelet around her wrist, and she felt nothing. Still, at the nod of the nundu, Hermione felt it was the right action.

"What do I do now?" Hermione asked the beast.

The nundu turned from her to roar at its pack. All at once, the nundu pack pushed their spines through the fur coats. In a prepared unison, she was sur, they turned to their partners and plucked the spines from each other. Each spine was a massive, a good 30 inches. The gathered a collection of their spines in the center of the room. As a final thought to their bizarre ritual, the nundu who had brought her turned and pulled a smaller spine from his from leg and presented it to her.

"I don't understand," Hermione told it, plucking the spine from between its teeth. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

The nundu spine felt nearly like a wand in her hand, the flow of magic going through it warm and comforting in ways Bellatrix' wasn't.

The nundu ignored her question, instead going behind her to prod her towards the large pile of nundu spines in the center of the cavern. She moved to put the spine on the pile, but the nundu growled at the movement. So, she put the single spine in her beaded bad, intent on studying later.

That was the correct action. The Nundu poked at her back with its nose and then pointed its snout towards the pile of spines. For a second she was still uncomprehending. Then, it dawned on her. They were giving her a precious gift, a collection of ingredients so rare that no one probably knew what to do with them. They had plucked at least three spines each, leaving her with a pile of forty or so spines.

She bowed her head in acceptance of the gift. She pulled a stone from her beaded bag to transform into a box to carry the spines in and carefully, and slowly so as to be sure it was their intent, Hermione took the spines one by one and transferred them to the box. None felt quite as good as that first spine in her hand, but she acknowledged each had a unique power. When the last was collected, she tucked the box into her beaded bad and turned to the ferocious cat and pet its nose.

"Thank you, er, nundu," Hermione thanked awkwardly. "It's kind of awkward, not able to call you anything. Do you think I could name you? I warn you, I'm horrible at naming things. Ask Crookshank."

The nundu purred into her hand, and with a head large enough to be Fluffy's she took that as a sign that she could name him. It was a him, right? Hermione checked his underbelly and looked away with a blush. Definitely a boy.

"Hmmm . . . how about Onile?" The nundu looked at her like she was crazy. "Sorry, I'm thinking. I could name you Fred, but you haven't a hair of ginger on you. I think a foreign name. How about Cyprus?"

That received an affirming purr. Hermione laughed. "OK, Cyprus it is. It kind of suits you. Like you would be perched on a marble column for the world to see, if you weren't so dangerous."

Cyprus nodded at her, as if acknowledging that he would kill everyone quite happily. That bit of dark humour wouldn't have gotten her laughing a few years ago, but now that the war was over she laughed at the cute nundu and scratched its forehead.

"What do I do now?"

Cyprus tilted his head at her, as if asking if she was really taking direction from an elephant-sized beast. Hermione sighed.

"Well, I've been taking your advice this whole time," Hermione pointed out reasonably. "And you haven't killed me yet, which is always a good thing."

At the continuing blank look of Cyprus, Hermione relented. "Alright, you have no idea what I'm to do now. I presume we're far enough away from their campsite that I can apparate?"

She wasn't expecting a nod, but Cyprus did.

"Alright, so I need to head back to London and demand that the Minister tells be why Dolohov isn't in prison, but is instead hunting ancient African magical texts," Hermione decided aloud. "But . . . It would be extremely beneficial to study you, you know. Nundu are rare, and extremely hostile. Well, hostile to most, I guess. Am I allowed to come back and see you, Cyprus?"

The feline nudged her wrist again, the one with the funerary bracelet.

"I use this to come back?" Hermione asked. "How?"

Her nundu only rolled its shoulders as if It was a shrug. Hermione laughed at the human gesture, but didn't let herself feel frustrated.

"I guess I'll figure it out," Hermione allowed. "I could always apparate back too, yeah?"

There was a nod.

"I'll see you soon, then, Cyprus," Hermione said. She gave him a final pet. "Thank you, for saving my life and the gifts. I'll try to live up to it."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

He missed his best friend coming in and laughing about something Teddy did, or excitedly talking about the world that he was missing out on. She knew so much about the world, he learned more from her than he ever would without. He'd had to rely on the Weasleys for intel from the outside, and they left him with more questions than answers.

Hermione … even after the war, she managed to see the world with rose-coloured glasses. She still saw the good in the new Ministry, despite her constant gripes and complaints. She saw the incoming class as children instead of a collection of war orphans and Death Eater offspring. He saw everything with a view tainted by the war, but Hermione … She was tougher than him. She had been tortured more severely, had been hurt more savagely, had given more willingly, and she still had the heart to love. A month away from her only fed into his isolationist depression, and he would do anything to have her see him more often.

So, while she was away, he took on the post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Hermione would be so proud of him, he knew. She would kiss his cheek and tell him it was the perfect job for him, how he'd love it nearly as much as DA lessons, and how Teddy would love spending time in the castle with the ghosts and a hoard of Professors who'd never had children themselves. It was Hermione, the one he imagined, who'd convinced him to do it. After a month without her, he knew he couldn't last until holidays.

That being said, he was worried about her. He thought he'd be able to see her after two weeks, tell her his decision. Instead, he was going on without a word from her. He fretted every day, his only distraction Teddy. He worried.

Hermione was trying to get back to London, but apparating multiple continents was difficult. In the lengthy process of travelling magically across continents, Hermione forgot where she was supposed to be landing. A moment of fear gripped her and she thought of the one thing in London she could at that moment; Harry Potter. She popped into existence in Harry's bedroom of Grimmauld place and immediately sank into his bed, ignoring the screaming of her best friend and her slightly bleeding cheek from the distracted apparition. Harry had immediately jumped up when he heard the apparition pop and was standing next to his bed, but naked and screaming at her.

"Circe, Hermione!" Harry yelled. "What are you doing in my bed?!"

"We've been here before," Hermione reminded him. "Besides, I need to rest after coming across two continents."

"Where have you been?!" Harry demanded. He noticed his bare tool and grabbed the pillow to cover it with a cough. "'Mione, you've been gone all month! You're bleeding!"

"Stories after nap, Harry," Hermione murmured into the pillow. "Come back to bed."

"Hermione, I'm kind of naked," Harry pointed out awkwardly.

"So?" Hermione murmured. "You don't want to do anything to me, right?"

"What, Hermione, no!" Harry exclaimed. "I mean, of course you're gorgeous, Mione, but … is this one of those times where there's no right answer? It feels like it."

"Come back to bed," Hermione murmured again, this time patting down the other side fo the mattress in clear invitation. "I'll lecture you in the morning."

"It is morning," Harry pointed out with a sigh, resigned to his fate.

Hermione heard him rush over to his dresser for a pair of boxers before coming back and sliding under the covers. She grabbed him immediately, placing her head on his lean chest. "Ah, the best pillow."

If she wasn't dead tired, Harry's eyeroll would have been nearly audible to her. "Go to sleep, Mione. Your pillow needs to be up in an hour to get Teddy his breakfast."

Harry couldn't get back to sleep, even after the adrenaline stopped pounding through his vein. Hermione was sleeping on his chest, just like they had when camping, when Ron wasn't around. It was always ruined back then by foul moods brought on by carrying a dark-magic-infused piece of Voldemort's soul around with them. Now, the situation made his heart warm and his arms tighten around her petit body. He pointed his wand to her cheek and did the little healing magic he knew how to do to cover the cut with a clear little spell that would keep her from bleeding further. He was sure Hermione would fix it when she woke.

He'd missed her the last month. Not just because of Teddy, who really did miss his 'Mine' – she could get his to stop crying with some soft-spoken words, a few questions, and a few hushed laughs that spoke of her love for the little Metamorphmagus.

No, it wasn't just for Teddy.

He couldn't sleep while she still didn't know of his decision, and he knew Teddy would be waking soon. He sent a quick Patronus to Ron and Ginny, letting them know she was back, and then occupied himself with stroking her hair and leaning back into the pillow.

He must have zoned out or dozed off for a half hour, because not a second later her heard the familiar cries of the toddler in the bedroom next door. And so the day begins.

To climb out of bed, he needed to grab his pillow and trade ir for his torso. When he placed it under Hermione's head she grabbed it and held it tightly to her in the tightest of hugs, earning a warm smile from the Boy Who Lived. It couldn't be helped. He leaned down and kissed the top of her curly, disheveled hair. He was so glad she was back safe.

Little Teddy was always a temperamental little devil in the mornings. Harry was certain Teddy knew they left his all by himself all night, and that was a cardinal sin in the attention-seeker's mind. Each day he took all of Harry's attention and he loved every second of it.

He was feeding Teddy his normal breakfast bottle when Andromeda bustled in for her morning tea.

"Harry, you're such a peach," Andromeda said tiredly. "I could have gotten him, you know."

"Like you do every morning?" Harry teased. "It's fine. Hermione woke me up anyways."

The baby seemed to recognize her name, hitting his tiny fists against Harry's hands.

"Yes, Aunt 'Mione's back," Harry told the toddler. "She needs some time to sleep before you can see her though, OK?"

"Don't talk for me, Harry," the happy voice of Hermione said from the doorway. She quickly came and lifted Teddy from Harry's arms, Teddy laughed happily, and Harry couldn't keep himself from beaming at his best friend, roommate, and crush. "How is my favourite little man today?"

"Still hungry, probably," Harry told her, handing her the bottle. "But very glad to see you. Are you alright now?"

"Healed myself after I rested," Hermione waved off his concern. "I just have a few people who need punching today for my trouble at the Ministry."

"What happened, dear?" Andromeda asked, cracking eggs into the pan.

Hermione's faced darkened under Harry's gaze, making him worry. He'd seen that look before, the look of anger. Heaven help whoever was on the end of it. "Did the Ministry tell anyone there was a breakout?"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, suddenly aware of what happened. "'Mione, are you sure you're alright? It wasn't-"

"Death Eaters," Hermione finished, clutching Teddy tightly. "Dolohov, probably some others. I didn't get a good look of their bodies."

"Bodies?!" Andromeda exclaimed, breakfast briefly forgotten. "What happened?"

"Wild animal killed them," Hermione said evasively. "But they were the group the Unspeakables were tracking."

"'Mione. . ." Harry breathed. "I thought we were done."

"And if the Minister had made public the fact that Dolohov either escaped Azkaban, or didn't even make it there, it would have been done," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'll be having words with him today."

"Where is your team, then?" Andromeda asked, scrambling the eggs in the pan.

Hermione frowned. "They had a portkey, I think."

"They left you?!" Harry roared. Baby Teddy didn't like that and wailed around the bottle, requiring more rocking from Hermione. "Sorry Teddy, but Uncle Harry might just have to kill someone today."

"You'll do no such thing," Andromeda said, before Hermione could chastise him. "He needs a good role model, not a prison inmate, for a parent."

"Yes, Andy," Harry nodded with a frown.

"And besides," Andromeda continued with a smirk, "you know that Hermione is perfectly capable of raising cain all on her own."

"I plan to," Hermione affirmed grimly. "Hiding things like this is how the Ministry fell to Voldemort in the first place. They need to learn, now, that we won't tolerate it again."

She grimaced. "I don't understand. The Minister kept us out there for so long, sending letters telling us of their movements. It was like . . . like we were tracking Dolohov, not the Book."

"Hermione," Harry whined, "don't. Please, don't go on like there's something sinister happening. There's been too many adventures in our lives. Write a letter to the Prophet and Quibbler, they'll handle the Ministry. Just stay here with m-Teddy, with Teddy. It's not our job anymore."

"I'll be home before you can say Quidditch, Harry," she reassured him.

* * *

That was the plan Hermione had in her head as she flooed to the Ministry. She was just going to barge into the Minister's office, demand to know what had happened, and then – once properly reassured that he would make the breakout or whatever had happened public – she would go reprimand the Unspeakables for abandoning her in a random forest in Africa.

She worked herself up into a speech-giving rage while in the elevators, knowing it would make her more eloquent and assertive than anything else, so that when the doors opened she stormed out and marched towards the Minister's office.

The secretary must have seen the look on her face or been told by the new Minister to always let the heroes into his office, because she didn't stop Hermione from throwing open the door.

"Minister, I-" Hermione stopped as she confronted the scene. The two Unspeakables from the day before were already in the office, speaking with the Minister. All the people she needed to bring to reckoning in one place. Who to attack first? Her decision was made when the Minister spoke to her.

"Miss Granger," the Minister greeted tersely. "We weren't expecting you to return today."

"Or at all," Hermione accused. She glared at the Unspeakables. "You left me there to die!"

"Gentlemen, if you would give me a moment alone with Miss Granger?" the Minister asked kindly. They nodded and backed out of the room, wary of her wanded hand. When they closed the door behind them, the Minister addressed her. "Please, sit down."

"I'll stand, thanks," Hermione said tersely. "Now, care to explain why nobody knows that Antonin Dolohov isn't in Azkaban and is instead now fertilizing the rainforests of the Congo?"

"Are you admitting to killing him?" the Minister asked, his stare hard.

"Answer my question."

They engaged in a battle of stares, as if sizing each other up. Finally, the Minister sighed.

"We were aware that some Death Eaters were a part of the group tracking the same manuscript," the Minister admitted, although Hermione could see a calculating cadence to his words. They were measured carefully, which put Hermione on edge. "To be fair, we did send those Portkeys with the Unspeakables to safely evacuate them and you from any dangerous situation."

"Which explains why they left me behind?" Hermione accused.

The Minister leaned back with a small smirk. "As far as I can see, Miss Granger, they made the right call. You are perfectly fine."

"Through luck!" Hermione screeched. "I was going to die!"

She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Minister, don't you think you should have told me who we were tracking? I testified at both of Dolohov's trials, which means I was in more danger than your average Unspeakables. More than that, the public should have been warned! He could have hurt people!"

The Minister seemed to be humouring her, and it annoyed her to no end. He was back in his chair, just observing and not truly engaging with her. He smiled politely. "We had people tracking him, that was enough. I saw no need to create a panic."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, now you know he is dead, will you release a statement?"

"No," the Minister said firmly. "That mission was secret, and since Dolohov is dead, there's no harm in it remaining so."

"What happened to the 'open door' of the Ministry?" Hermione demanded. "You ran on the premise of transparency and honesty, and people want that after the hell we've been put through."

"Some things must remain a secret for their benefit," the Minister replied with a terse voice.

Hermione clenched a fist. "Fine. You won't release a statement, but I was not forced into any oaths or signed contracts saying that _I_ couldn't. I'm sure the press would love to hear how you abandoned me in the middle of Africa with a half-dozen assailants."

She saw his jaw clench and nostrils flare in anger. "Are you threatening me, Miss Granger?"

"No," she promised. "Merely pointing out something you don't like – I can, and will, be honest with the public if you're not. I'm eager to see how many other Death Eaters that are supposed to be in Azkaban have gotten out. Or, have they been freed?"

The Minister glared. "You are going too far, Miss Granger."

Hermione place her palms on the Minister's desk, assuming a confrontational stance. "You lied. You lied to the public about Dolohov. You lied to me about the mission. You lied about keeping me out there too, didn't you? I don't even know why. I'm not stupid, Minister, and neither am I a pawn for you to use and dispose of. Who else escaped from Azkaban?"

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter!" the Minister barked.

A couple of uniformed aurors entered his office. "We received your summons."

"Please take Miss Granger into custody," the Minister ordered, making Hermione gasp in shock.

"What?!" Hermione shrieked. "On what grounds?"

The aurors were around her in a second, binding her wrists and taking Bellatrix's wand from her arm holster and confiscating her beaded bag. She didn't struggle, but fixed her gaze on the Minister who was failing to hide his smirk.

"You just admitted to killing Antonin Dolohov, and others in his party," the Minister sneered. "I have sent aurors, Miss Granger, and they found several dead bodies where the Unspeakables left you. You are being arrested for murder."

"I didn't kill anyone!" Hermione shrieked as she was pulled to the door. "I never said that! You foul man! You liar!"

"Are you calling the Minister a liar?" the pompous goat jeered her. "Perhaps, with a few hours in custody, you will gain a degree of respect."

Hermione hissed. _How dare he?_ He was abusing his power all because she'd dared to question him. Did he think that just because he threatened her with Azkaban that she'd comply with his lying manipulations?

"Watch yourself!" she called to him angrily. "You have no idea who you're messing with!"

Just before the door closed, she saw his sinister smile. "No, Miss Granger, it is you who has no idea."


End file.
